THE GOOD: So far, almost everything has been even better
than I expected and I started with a very high standard. My main goal was to spend more time with Mae
and that has happened in spades. Many
people have asked how we can stand to be so close all the time, on such a small
boat? My answer is that we all make it
work.
Rose is the best boat dog anyone can imagine. Wherever we take her ashore, everyone has to
pet her. She takes everything in stride,
even though we have to carry her up and down the companionway. She always lies on the high side when we are
sailing. After Sugar didn't come home in
Port Hardy, Mae bought her a harness and leash.
Now Rose walks Sugar on the leash.
Sugar likes boat life. She
has adapted pretty well and she comes home at night, for now. She can be a pain at night, running around
the boat and sometimes soaking wet and cuddly. She likes dinghy rides with Rose; both at the
bow checking out everything around them.
Our pets provide us with lots of entertainment. We are very lucky to have them.
Mae
is the one who really makes everything work though. Mae has lost weight and she is more relaxed,
happier, healthier and more beautiful than I have seen her in many years. I can honestly say that Mae will take on any
boat task. There is nothing on this boat
that I can do, that Mae cannot also do.
She is a good sailor, a very lucky Fisher and an excellent cook.
Wild Abandon is an amazing boat. She continues to sail very well, if a bit
slower, because she is ridiculously overloaded.
All the improvements we have made: new hot water tank, refrigeration,
and solar power are working better than expected, so far. We believe Wild Abandon is a
perfect size for us. She is small enough
to get in almost everywhere, but big enough to take on challenging
conditions. She is easy to sail but
there is enough boat to keep us busy. Wild
Abandon still teaches me something new every day.
Wild Abandon has taken us to some favourite spots and some
amazing new places. We have reacquainted
with some old friends and met a number of new people - always one of our
favourite things about cruising.
Our days are ours. There
is always something to do. Most days we
have a list and often we don't get everything done - I didn't think that would
be the case. We get up and figure out
what needs to be done and how to do it.
I love doing that with Mae. She
has taught me to be more flexible and to take things as they come. Not everything has to be planned. Spontaneity is a lot of fun, sometimes.
The weather has been lovely.
It was too hot in August and we have not sailed nearly as much as we are
used to sailing, for a lack of wind, but the wonderful little Yanmar continues
to reliably chug along, using almost no fuel.
We always seem to be anchored in the calms and at a dock in the few
storms so far. Lately, it has been windy
and rainy enough to make me believe we were back in Rupert.
Television is one thing we appreciate being without. We listen to the radio for music and local
weather. It is nice to have a wide
variety of FM stations to listen to. Mae
still lives for a Wifi connection as she is addicted to her phone, but apart
from email, I can't say I miss "connectivity" much.
We consume very little aboard.
We have definitely reduced our footprints upon the Earth. That alone would be worth the "Bad"
and the "Ugly". Doing simple
things: making bread, boat jobs, walking the pets, loving each other are all
more important than anything else in the world.
Our priorities are very different now.
There are a lot of classic boats and cars
down here. Often, I don't know which way
to look there are so many beautiful machines.
(Sad that I don't love the beautiful women as much any more.) I even got an up close look at a vintage
Vincent motorcycle. Mae had to drag me
away.
THE BAD: Even though we started out with the idea of no
deadlines, we seem to keep coming up with them.
Jennifer moved to a new place in Nanaimo, so we went to help, but it was
good to see her new place and we had a nice visit with Vicky and Ben, who also
kindly drove up to help.
There is no shelter from the sun or the rain on our boat. Mae is determined to build a cover for the
cockpit and I am as determined to not have one.
We will see who wins out.
Right now, staying dry below deck is as hard as staying dry above
- as the boat warms up, water condenses on everything. It always seems to drip on me too.
Even though our boat is small, it is hard to keep it clean. We have a basic difference of opinion about
finishing one job, before moving on to the next one and putting things away
when we are done with them. I am not
sure why we need five can openers aboard?
And with all those can openers, why can't I find one when I need it?
As we did not sell our house, I had to go back to Rupert to get
it ready to rent and that was a very long, lonely drive and a lot of work to
get done. Thank heavens for good friends
like Gary, who helped out, all the people who had me over for meals, Erin for
choosing the paint colours and we did rent the house in the end.
While I was in Rupert, Mae was helping her Mom in Kelowna, so
that all worked out and it only really hits the "Bad" list because we
were apart for almost two weeks.
Because of our side trips and various jobs we are doing while in
the Big Smoke, our boat has not been off the dock in a month. We are at Shelter Island Marina until early
November and I really do not like Vancouver, especially the driving - more on
that in the "Ugly" section.
Money is tight because we did not sell our house. We have had unexpected expenses, that have
drawn down our savings. We can make it,
but there is no money for anything extra.
We had to bypass many of the places we wanted to visit, because
of the before-mentioned deadlines and we have not visited many of the people we
really want to see. We also miss all our
good Prince Rupert friends. Special
thanks to all who email us to let us know what you are doing.
THE UGLY: Driving in Vancouver is truly UGLY! Living on the flight path for Vancouver
International Airport is ugly. The grey
particulate matter we have to clean off the boat after it rains, makes me
wonder what we are breathing.
The further south we came, the harder it was to figure out how to
legally fish. The Regulations need a
lawyer to interpret them and don't even think about hunting. In the mean time, the ducks and geese are
constantly flying all around, just to taunt us.
Conclusion: It is
not all easy, but it is fun 90% of the time.
I may have a different opinion after a Winter aboard and I will update
again in 3 more months, but in the meantime, the adventure continues.
